Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Efforts Expand in Wisconsin
DHS Lead Policy Advisor Keeps the Spotlight on Eliminating Lead Dangers
Wisconsin’s lead policy advisor, Brian Weaver, today highlighted the state’s expanding efforts to prevent childhood lead poisoning, noting that many of the same families living in older homes with lead hazards are also among the populations being hardest hit by COVID-19.
Childhood lead poisoning can cause delays in growth, behavior and create learning challenges. In severe cases, lead poisoning can result in seizures, coma, and death. Lead poisoning occurs when children swallow lead paint dust, often found in homes built before 1978, and can also be caused by lead-contaminated drinking water from lead service lines or lead in plumbing fixtures.
Weaver was named Wisconsin’s lead policy advisor in February after Governor Tony Evers issued an executive order to focus attention on lead poisoning as a critical public health issue in Wisconsin, and directed state agencies to work together on prevention.
Statewide efforts to prevent lead poisoning include abating lead hazards and addressing other structural issues in the homes of 125 Wisconsin residents. This work, funded by a recent award from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), will be carried out in collaboration with a range of partners, including:
- Winnebago County Health Department
- City of Oshkosh-Community Development Division
- Community Services – Social Development Commission (SDC) in Milwaukee and Waukesha counties
- Grant County Health Department Consortium
- Crawford County Health Department
- Southwestern Wisconsin Community Action Program
In addition, the health agency plans to increase the number of children under age six who are tested for lead poisoning by working closely with the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, other state programs, public health departments, and health care providers.
Other efforts include:
- Coordinating the statewide DHS Lead-Safe Homes program to abate lead hazards in homes where a Medicaid- or BadgerCare Plus-eligible child or pregnant woman resides or visits regularly, providing more than $3 million to local Wisconsin agencies to carry out residential lead hazard abatement activities.
- Increasing the number of professionals trained and certified to remove lead hazards from homes by providing training scholarships for new residential contract workers, and reaching out to potential construction workers to bring them into the lead abatement field.
- Addressing lead hazards in both in-home and child care facilities in underserved and low income communities under EPA’s Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) grant program.
- Providing financial opportunities for window and siding manufacturers, housing supply stores and other Wisconsin businesses associated with housing projects.
The City of Milwaukee, and Kenosha and Racine counties will also provide lead abatement services to more than 500 homes, funded by two $4 million HUD grants.
Learn more about lead hazards and lead poisoning prevention programs in Wisconsin.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
More about the Lead Crisis
- City Hall: Milwaukee Must Replace 100 Lead Laterals Per Week To Meet 2025 Goal - Jeramey Jannene - Oct 1st, 2025
- MPS Clears Lead Risks from all Pre-1950 Elementary Buildings - Milwaukee Public Schools - Sep 5th, 2025
- MPS Issues Update on Lead Remediation Progress as New School Year Nears - Milwaukee Public Schools - Jul 31st, 2025
- Gov. Evers Approves Bill to Support Lead Service Line Replacement in Superior - Gov. Tony Evers - Jul 1st, 2025
- MPS’s Westside Academy Cleared of Lead Risks After Stabilization Work - Milwaukee Public Schools - Jul 1st, 2025
- MPS Plans Lead Remediation at 40 Schools This Summer - Evan Casey - Jun 27th, 2025
- Baldwin, Reed Demand Written Answers from RFK, Jr. on Firings of Childhood Lead Poisoning Experts at CDC - U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin - Jun 11th, 2025
- MPS’s LaFollette School Cleared of Lead Risks After Stabilization Work - Milwaukee Public Schools - Jun 11th, 2025
- Sen. Baldwin Hears From Parents About MPS Lead Crisis, Chides RFK Jr. - Evan Casey - Jun 9th, 2025
- Reps. Margaret Arney and Darrin Madison Urge Joint Finance Committee to Reinstate Essential Lead Abatement Funding - State Rep. Margaret Arney - Jun 5th, 2025
Read more about Lead Crisis here
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